zenlutheran church&state, culture wars, discernment, journal, Lutherans

Pastoral letters clarify — US Supreme Court’s anti-abortion ruling denies moral agency to people of faith

Linked to my parish newsletter this week was a pastoral message from my bishop -- Bishop John Roth of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -- spelling out the church's position on the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court, "as we strive, as God’s church, to … Continue reading Pastoral letters clarify — US Supreme Court’s anti-abortion ruling denies moral agency to people of faith

zenlutheran ecumenism, Lutherans, Peace Lutheran, Sundays@6

Promo for a parish book study — what things matter most in a time of declining mainline church membership?

Editor's (admin's) note. Lightly edited copy of a blast email I sent out promoting a new book study that my wife and I are co-facilitating for an adult faith formation group in our ELCA Lutheran parish. While the book is about "renewing the church from its Lutheran core," and it quotes Martin Luther extensively, its … Continue reading Promo for a parish book study — what things matter most in a time of declining mainline church membership?

zenlutheran chorales, hymnody, journal, Lutherans, Norskies

John C. Mehrling, 1941-June 11, 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90GonV40di8 St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Saint Thomas Choir School, New York City, 2011 My cousin, John Calvin Mehrling of Waynesville, N.C., died unexpectedly Saturday, in a one-car accident on his way home from a live steam train outing across the mountains in Tennessee. Our extended family is scattered over two continents and … Continue reading John C. Mehrling, 1941-June 11, 2022

zenlutheran Judaism, Lutherans, social justice, Sundays@6, Zen

Proclaiming the ‘E Word’ on the Z App — walking the talk as the SARS-CoV-2 variants shape an uneasy new normal

Debi and I recently finished co-facilitating a six-week book study on evangelism for our parish church -- over Zoom no less -- and it was a pleasant surprise. The book, Reclaiming the 'E' Word: Waking Up to Our Evangelical Identity, is by Kelly Fryer, an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who … Continue reading Proclaiming the ‘E Word’ on the Z App — walking the talk as the SARS-CoV-2 variants shape an uneasy new normal

zenlutheran Catholics, climate change, ecumenism, Laudato Si', Lutherans, social justice, Stewardship

‘Let’s take care of it’: (Mostly) Lutheran resources on Laudato Si’ and ELCA’s 1993 statement on Caring for Creation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vjxWnFnKFo (YouTube, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Nov. 5, 2021) The power of God is present at all places, even in the tiniest tree leaf. Do you think God is sleeping on a pillow in heaven? ... God is wholly present in all creation, in every corner, behind you and before you. -- Martin Luther … Continue reading ‘Let’s take care of it’: (Mostly) Lutheran resources on Laudato Si’ and ELCA’s 1993 statement on Caring for Creation

zenlutheran Augustana, church&state, creolization, culture wars, diversity, immigration, journal, Lutherans, Swedes

Fukuyama on Russia, Trump, ethno-nationalism, religion and other threats to the liberal world order

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwuMMmUCw98 Last month I posted a rather incoherent item saying: (a) I thought some important tectonic plates were shifting with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Ukrainian resistance to being reabsorbed into a post-Soviet Russian empire; and (b) it might somehow provide a context for writing up some of the historical research I've done in … Continue reading Fukuyama on Russia, Trump, ethno-nationalism, religion and other threats to the liberal world order

zenlutheran chorales, hymnody, Lutherans, music, spiritual practice

Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend / ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now’

d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j219xJKXydg Detleff Korsen Text: Wilhelm II von Sachsen-Weimar (?) 1648, Strophe 4 Gotha 1651, Melodie: Gochsheim / Redwitz 1628, Görlitz 1648, Evangelisches Gesangbuch Nr. 155, aufgenommen in der Kirche St. Cosmae und Damiani in Hassel. Wikipedia has background "Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend" at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herr_Jesu_Christ,_dich_zu_uns_wend Also a digital … Continue reading Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend / ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now’

zenlutheran Catholics, chorales, hymnody, James Martin, Jesuits, Lutherans, music, prayer, spiritual practice

DRAFT ‘Now rest beneath night’s shadow …’ DRAFT

d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKyiGWYOQLU St. Thomas Boys' Choir Leipzig, 2016 (CHOR GESANG - Das Musikmagazin). "He who sings prays twice" -- St. Augustine (Catechism of the Catholic Church) Maybe I shouldn't admit this in public, but I've had prayer at the top of my B list for quite a while now. After a … Continue reading DRAFT ‘Now rest beneath night’s shadow …’ DRAFT

zenlutheran hymnody, incarnation, Lutherans, music, spiritual direction, spiritual practice

‘A child is born in Bethlehem’: New life in an old carol for postmodern, independent cats and misguided sheep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRyiOB4as9c DR Pigekor (Danish National Girls' Choir), dir. Philip Faber, 2021 Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. -- Charlie "Bird" Parker (Wikiquote). … Continue reading ‘A child is born in Bethlehem’: New life in an old carol for postmodern, independent cats and misguided sheep